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Unhappy volunteers can result in losing manpower and possibly resulting in a nonprofit organization's inability to fulfill its mission. Organizations that rely heavily, if not exclusively, on volunteer manpower must understand what motivates volunteers to step up and help in the first place. The values that keep volunteers working with a sense of fulfillment help keep volunteer organizations filled with loyal assistants.

Community Environment

Volunteer organizations can benefit from developing a sense community among volunteers. While this may be a natural value in some organizations such as a church group, it may not be as innate in other groups where volunteers don't have a common thread. Community values can be instigated and enhanced in volunteer organizations by creating social outlets where volunteers are able to get to know each other outside the work of the organization.

Credibility

Volunteers seek credibility in the organizations they work for and likewise, volunteer organizations gain public credibility by having a strong volunteer workforce. Volunteers look for this value in organizations as they don't want to waste time on non-performing organizations. Organizations benefit because volunteers don't have a financial or other vested interest, making them good advocates for the organization.

Empathy

Empathy is an essential value needed in most volunteer organizations where volunteers must relate to and interact with those being helped. An animal charity with volunteers who don't relate to or like animals is not likely to have an effective volunteer pool willing to go the extra mile to achieve its mission goals.

Personal Goals

Most people assume that volunteers work from an altruistic value base. However, a 2007 study in Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organisations, stated that this assumption is not true across the spectrum of all volunteers. Many donate time and energy to satisfy personal goals. That being the case, volunteer organizations must maintain values of self-worth and personal development for volunteers in order to satisfy these needs.